Nation

New gesture from Athens to boost relations
The itinerary of the Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Magriotis, who arrived in Baku last week for one-day visit, was grueling. The mission was to produce a report by Greece on work done in Azerbaijan and as a gesture to strengthen bilateral relations, as well as advance mutual confidence.
Greece held the European Union (EU) presidency over the past six months.
Taking into account the close relations between Athens and Yerevan, as well as the former's wish to warm relations with Ankara through Azerbaijan's oil and gas, the visit was of great importance.
Baku meetings
Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Magriotis held a number of meetings with senior Azeri government officials during his visit.
President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev met with Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Magriotis at the Presidential Office on Wednesday.
The Greek diplomat said the period of Greek chairmanship of the European Union (EU) has expired, stressing that his country was the first to put the issue of the Caucasus states on the EU agenda.
"The EU and Azerbaijan have launched dialogues on energy issues. Azerbaijani experts in the gas industry have visited Greece to exchange views," said Mr. Magriotis, underscoring that Greek President Konstantinos Stefanopulos is expected to visit Azerbaijan this fall, with a number of documents on mutual understanding, especially economic agreements to be signed.
The Azerbaijani President, on his own part, pointed at the perspectives of the relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union, adding that necessary work is underway and will further be done in this direction.
Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev received the Greek delegation on Wednesday. Speaking of the great importance for Azerbaijan to advance relations with the European Union (EU), the Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev stressed the necessity of bilateral dialogue on security and political issues.
Referring, particularly, to the development of Azerbaijan's relations with the expanding EU during the period of Greek chairmanship, Mr. Quliyev aired his hope for further deepening of bilateral links.
Mr. Magriotis, in his turn, said he attached great importance to the expansion of friendly and business relations.
Touching upon the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Upper Qarabag, the Greek diplomat said he supports the soonest peaceable solution to the conflict on the principles of respect to Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Continued support
At a news conference at the International Press Center on Wednesday, Greek diplomat, touching upon the expiration of Greece's chairmanship for the European Union (EU), said his country would provide assistance to South Caucasus states within the Euro-Atlantic bloc, at the same time, continuously championing Azerbaijan. Reminding that Italy will take over the chairmanship of the EU from July 1, the Greek diplomat said the visit of the European Trio to Baku will be implemented on schedule.
The European Trio is planning to visit the South Caucasus countries on July 6-10.
Expressing pleasure with his Baku visit, Mr. Magriotis recalled on his first visit to Azerbaijan in 2001, emphasizing that he will have a chance to visit Baku for the third time with a delegation led by the Greek President this fall.
Economic co-op
"The European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan are satisfied with the current level of bilateral economic cooperation," Greek Deputy Foreign Minister said in a meeting with Azerbaijani Minister for Economic Development Farhad Aliyev on Wednesday. A source from the Ministry has told AssA-Irada that the two men focused on the implementation of projects in Azerbaijan with financial support from the EU and the perspectives of the projects targeting the development of small and medium entrepreneurship in the country. The Greek diplomat also voiced his confidence that Azerbaijan would set up successful cooperation with Italy that is to take office in chairmanship for the European Union from July 1 of this year.
Cooperation in spotlight
"The European Union (EU) has appointed a special representative in a bid to ensure stability in the South Caucasus," Greek diplomat has told a news conference. According to him, the EU will bring the issue of cooperation among three South Caucasus countries into the spotlight soon.
Reminding of the completion of the TACIS program in 2004, Mr. Magriotis said the EU had made a decision to prolong its implementation period until 2006, as it will be of great importance for Azerbaijan.

FM urges Minsk Group co-chairs to push new proposals
"The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs should not simply visit the region, but move serious proposals," Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev has told AssA-Irada while commenting on the co-chairs' upcoming visit to the region.
According to him, President Heydar Aliyev laid down principle requirements for the co-chairs in a meeting in Kiev, the Ukraine, that they should not only visit the region but find a resolution to the conflict.
Recalling Azerbaijan's stance on this issue in a meeting with the co-chairs in Spain on June 6, Mr. Quliyev stressed his readiness to proceed a dialogue with them in case the mediators visit the region.
Noting his unawareness of exact date of their visit, the Minister said during the Madrid meeting Minsk Group co-chairs came out with announcement on new ideas on resolution of the conflict.
In reply to question on core of new proposals Mr. Quliyev said visiting the region the co-chairs first notify the President on their proposals. However, all work done within the OSCE Minsk Group, including the proposals, are confidential. Any announcement is made after a relevant agreement is reached, he emphasized.

Turkic special service chiefs meet in Baku
The sixth meeting of the conference of the heads of Turkic states' special service bodies opened at the Crescent Beach Hotel of Baku on Thursday.
The two-day gathering with participation of Azerbaijani, Turkish, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz special service chiefs will summarize work done in cooperation to combat terrorism, separatism, drug trafficking, religious extremism, and illegal migration. Discussing prospects of further cooperation, the meeting will close with the signing of a joint protocol on cooperation.
Representatives from the Russian and Georgian special service bodies are attending the meeting as observers. President Heydar Aliyev is expected to receive the participants in the meeting.

Roundtable on Armenian terrorism
A roundtable, The Armenian Terrorism Against Azerbaijani Statesmen, jointly organized by the opposition-minded Qarabag Liberation Movement (QLO) and the World Azerbaijanis Congress (WAC) was held at the Nizami Press Club on Thursday. Also a ceremony to mark the 83rd anniversary of murder of first prime minister of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first republic in the East, Fatali Xan Xoyski by Armenians in 1920 was held in the undertaking.
Speakers at the roundtable stressed that Azerbaijanis were subjected to Armenian terrorism over the past century, as Armenians perpetrated murders against Azerbaijan's political and public figures, as well as the intellectuals under the Soviet terror machine. The event also recalled the murder of Azerbaijan's top state officials on board the helicopter which was gunned down by Armenian separatists over Xocavand province of Upper Qarabag on November, 1991, terming the case as an obvious example.
The participants in the gathering adopted a statement on taking urgent measures to prevent Armenian terrorism addressed to international organizations. The roundtable assigned the QLO to collect data on all the Azerbaijanis killed by Armenians so far in a bid to publish a book to be sent to international entities.

Sheik to attend World Islamic forum
A delegation headed by chairman of the Caucasus Clerical Board  (CCB), Haji Allahsukur Pasazada left for Paris, France, on Tuesday to attend the annual meeting of the World Islamic People's Leadership (WIPL) from Thursday to Saturday.
The delegation includes chairman of the Scientific Religious Council of the Board, Prof. Vasif Mammadaliyev and head of the Coordination Council of the North Caucasus Moslems, mufti Haji Ismayil Berdiyev, a source from the CCB has told AssA-Irada .
The meeting is scheduled to discuss the current status of Islam, combating terrorism, attitude of the Moslem world towards the Iraqi developments, and the aggravated Iranian-US relations.
Mr. Pasazada will attend the meeting as a member of the Presidium of the WIPL.

Russian parliament ratifies Caspian agreement
A meeting of the State Duma (Russian parliament) considered ratification of a Russian-Azerbaijani agreement on the division of the Caspian seabed with 356 pros out of 450 MPs on Wednesday, the Russian Embassy in Baku has told AssA-Irada.
The document also considers the current level of bilateral relationships, along with technical and economic decisions. "The ratification of a bilateral agreement on the division of the Caspian seabed will play an essential part in restoration of security in the region," the Embassy reported. 
The bilateral agreement, stipulates joint use of the Caspian mineral resources in accordance with the international experience, was signed on September 23, 2002.

No limit on guns collection
The Friday parliamentary meeting considered changes and supplements to the Law on "Service and Civil Guns". The changes to the law reject the limit on the number of guns owned by any person as a sample of art, or those of historic importance, as previously the law allowed the collectors to preserve only two shotguns. Hence, they can collect guns, no matter whether it is an art sample, or antiquity, in the desired number.
The changes were approved and confirmed by the overwhelming majority of votes.